Specialty Dining and Gratutites

[FinelyCruising]

In an earlier thread I promised to share the response I received following and email request that I was sending to Celebrity after much discussion on a thread about what may be going on now with the fees and gratutities. Here is what I wrote:

 

I would like to inquire what the recommended amount for Specialty Dining gratuity is. I have learned recently that the dining fee no longer includes any portion of gratuity to the dining staff as it may once have.

 

We have always enjoyed the Specialty venues and normally leave more for the staff because the service is fantastic, yet if a portion of the fee no longer gos to the staff I'd like to be sure I make up that deficit.

 

Please let me know what amount should be offered now.

 

 

Here was the response:

 

Thank you for your email. We apologize for the delay in our response.

 

The fee for specialty dining covers the gratuity. The food is complimentary. The only additional charge is for beverages

 

 

So there you have it!

[reklawr]

In The fee for specialty dining covers the gratuity. The food is complimentary. The only additional charge is for beverages

 

 

So there you have it!

 

Very interesting Finely!

That should put and end to that discussion.:D

[VistaRio]

Here was the response:

 

Thank you for your email. We apologize for the delay in our response.

 

The fee for specialty dining covers the gratuity. The food is complimentary. The only additional charge is for beverages

 

 

So there you have it!

 

Very interesting, and also very clearly stated.

[Gonzo70]

This has always been the case. It is thought that about $5 of the fee goes to the servers as gratuity (as suites when they take advantage of their free dinners in specialty restaurants are told that the recommended gratuity is $5 per person). I usually tip an extra $5 per person when I eat at the specialty restaurants as I have always had impeccable service; once I even tipped an extra $10 per person after a four hour marathon dinner at Muranos on Century!

[VistaRio]

This has always been the case. It is thought that about $5 of the fee goes to the servers as gratuity (as suites when they take advantage of their free dinners in specialty restaurants are told that the recommended gratuity is $5 per person). I usually tip an extra $5 per person when I eat at the specialty restaurants as I have always had impeccable service; once I even tipped an extra $10 per person after a four hour marathon dinner at Muranos on Century!

 

 

Except that, according to the email, the food is "complimentary", and the fee is for gratuity. This would imply that the fee is for gratuity only, and not any part of it is for the food, as that is "complimentary". If they would NOT have stated "the food is complimentary", it would be less clear as to what portion of the fee covered gratuity.

 

Now, all that being said, I am not naive enough to think this may not be the case in reality. However, as quoted above by celebrity, the fee, all of it in fact, is for gratuity.

 

It makes one question why they want to infer that the food is complimentary.

 

Happy Cruising